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List of people from Mississippi
This list contains people who were born or lived in the U.S. state of Mississippi. ]] Activists and advocates * James Bevel (1936–2008), clergyman, civil rights activist (Itta Bena) * Ruby Bridges (born 1954), first African-American child to attend an all-white school in the South (Tylertown) * Curtis Conway "C.C." Bryant (1917–2007), civil rights activist (Tylertown)"Local People by John Dittmer". Retrieved August 8, 2009 * Will D. Campbell (1924–2013), Baptist minister and activist (Amite County) * James Chaney (1943–1964), civil rights activist (Meridian) * Vernon Dahmer (1908–1966), civil rights activist (Hattiesburg) * Charles Evers (born 1922), civil rights leader, mayor of Fayette (Decatur) * Medgar Evers (1925–1963), civil rights leader (Decatur) * Myrlie Evers-Williams (born 1933), civil rights activist, journalist (Vicksburg) * C. L. Franklin (1915–1984), Baptist minister, father of Aretha Franklin (Shelby) * Dianna Freelon-Foster, civil rights activist, mayor of GrenadaSouthern Echo: Dianna Freelon-Foster * Lloyd L. Gaines (1911–1939?), challenged segregation at University of Missouri School of Law, disappeared in 1939 (Water Valley) * Duncan M. Gray Jr. (born 1926), Episcopal clergyman, civil rights activist (Canton) * Winifred Green (1937–2016), civil rights activist (Jackson)Jackson, MS: Winifred Green | Jackson Free Press | Jackson, MS, accessdate: February 21, 2016 * Percy Greene (1897–1977), journalist, activist (Jackson) * Lawrence Guyot (1939–2012), civil rights activist (Pass Christian) * Fannie Lou Hamer (1917–1977), civil rights, voting rights activist (Ruleville) * Winson Hudson (1916–2004), civil rights activist (Harmony) * Clyde Kennard (1927–1963), civil rights activist (Hattiesburg) * Germany Kent (born 1975), journalist, social activist (Greenville) * Edwin King (born 1936), civil rights activist, Tougaloo College chaplain (Jackson) * Joyce Ann Ladner (born 1943), civil rights activist and educator (Wayne County) * James Meredith (born 1933), first African-American student at the University of Mississippi (Kosciusko) * Anne Moody (1940–2015), civil rights activist, author (Centreville) * Ida B. Wells-Barnett (1862–1931), civil rights activist, women's rights activist (Holly Springs) Actors and actresses * Mary Alice (born 1941), actress (Indianola) * Dana Andrews (1909–1992), actor (Covington County) * Fred Armisen (born 1966), actor, comedian, and musician (Hattiesburg) * Roscoe Ates (1895–1962), actor and musician (Grange) * Katherine Bailess (born 1980), film and television actress (Vicksburg) * Laura Bailey (born 1981), voice actress (Biloxi) * Earl W. Bascom (1906–1995), actor (Columbia) * Willie Best (1916–1962), television and film actor (Sunflower) * Jimmy Boyd (1939–2009), singer and actor (McComb) * Don Briscoe (1940–2004), soap opera actor (Yalobusha County) * Geneva Carr (born 1971), television and stage actress (Jackson) * Finn Carter (born 1960), actress (Greenville) * Wally Cassell (born 1915), film and television actor * Lacey Chabert (born 1982), film and television actress (Purvis) * Alvin Childress (1907–1986), actor (Meridian) * Gary Collins (1938–2012), film and television actor (Biloxi) * Wyatt Emory Cooper (1927–1978), Broadway actor (Quitman) * Cassi Davis (born 1964) (Holly Springs) * John Dye (1963–2011), film and television actor (Amory) * Mary Elizabeth Ellis, television and film actress (Laurel) * J. D. Evermore (born 1968), film and television actor (Greenville) * Ruth Ford (1911–2009), stage and film actress (Brookhaven) * Morgan Freeman (born 1937), Academy Award-winning actor (Charleston) * M. C. Gainey (born 1948), film and television actor (Jackson) * Cynthia Geary (born 1965), actress (Jackson) * Gavin Gordon (1901–1983), film, television, and radio actor (Chicora) * Allie Grant (born 1994), actress (Tupelo) * Gary Grubbs (born 1949) (Amory) * Lynn Hamilton (born 1930), actress (Yazoo City) * Beth Henley (born 1952), playwright and actress (Jackson) * Jim Henson (1936–1990), creator of The Muppets (Greenville) * Anthony Herrera (born 1944) (Wiggins) * Wilbur Higby (1867–1934), silent film actor (Meridian) * Shauntay Hinton, actress (Starkville) * Eddie Hodges (born 1947), child actor (Hattiesburg) * Thelma Houston (born 1943), actress (Leland) * James Earl Jones (born 1931), actor (Arkabutla) * Robert Earl Jones (1910–2006), actor (Senatobia) * Germany Kent (born 1975), actress (Greenville) * Simbi Khali (born 1971) (Jackson) * Diane Ladd (born 1935), actress (Meridian) * Daniel Curtis Lee (born 1991) (Clinton) * Tom Lester (born 1938) (Jackson) * Martha Mattox (1879–1933), silent film actor (Natchez) * Shane McRae (born 1977) (Starkville) * Gerald McRaney (born 1947), actor (Collins) * Gil Peterson (born 1936), actor (Winona) * Parker Posey (born 1968), actress (Laurel) * Evelyn Preer (1896–1932) (Vicksburg) * Thalmus Rasulala (1939–1991), actor (Arkabutla) * Beah Richards (1920–2000), stage, screen and television actress (Vicksburg) * Eric Roberts (born 1956), actor (Biloxi) * Toni Seawright (born 1964), actress (Pascagoula) * Larry Semon (1889–1928), silent film actor, director, producer (West Point) * Jamie Lynn Spears (born 1991), actress, singer (McComb) * Taylor Spreitler (born 1993), actress, model (Hattiesburg) * Stella Stevens (born 1938), actress (Yazoo City) * Tonea Stewart (born 1947) (Greenwood) * Trinitee Stokes (born 2006) (Jackson) * Byron Thames (born 1969), actor (Jackson) * Joe M. Turner (born 1969), actor, magician, professional speaker (Brandon) * James Michael Tyler (born 1962) (Winona) * Brenda Venus (born 1957), actress (Biloxi) * Ray Walston (1914–2001), actor (Laurel) * Sela Ward (born 1956), actress (Meridian) * James Wheaton (1924–2002) (Meridian) * Kit Williamson (born 1985), actor (Jackson) * Hattie Winston (born 1945), actress (Greenville) Artists * Jere Allen, painter (Oxford) * James McConnell Anderson (1907–1998), potter and painter (Ocean Springs) * Peter Anderson (1901–1984), potter (Ocean Springs) * Rick Anderson, painter and children's book illustrator (Clinton) The Meridian Star newspaper: Backstage Pass: Meridian Museum of Art Around Mississippi 2008 * Walter Inglis Anderson (1903–1965), painter (Ocean Springs) * Earl W. Bascom (1906–1995), painter, sculptor, "King of the Cowboy Artists" (Columbia) * Bill Beckwith (born 1952), monumental sculptor (Greenville)Bill Beckwith, sculptor * Howard Bingham (born 1939), photographer (Jackson) * Jason Bouldin, portrait painter (Oxford) * Marshall Bouldin III (1923–2012), portrait painter (Clarksdale) * Bruce Brady (1934?–2000), sculptor of Conerly Trophy (Brookhaven)Mississippi Public Broadcasting: MPB-TV provides LIVE broadcast of 2006 Cellular South Conerly Trophy Presentation * Andrew Bucci (born 1922), painter (Vicksburg) * Byron Burford (1920–2011), painter (Greenville) * William Dunlap (born 1944), painter (Webster County) University of Mississippi Dept. of Art Alumni: William Dunlap * Sam Gilliam (born 1933), color field painter (Tupelo) * Theora Hamblett (1895–1977), painter (Oxford)Paul Grootkerk, "The Visionary Paintings of Theora Hamblett," Woman's Art Journal 11 (Autumn 1990–Winter 1991): 19–22. * Ted Jackson (born 1956), photojournalist (McComb) * Chris LeDoux (1948–2005), bronze sculptor (Biloxi) * Alex M. Loeb (1918–2015), painter (Meridian) * Lee McCarty (1923–2015), potter (Merigold) * John McCrady (1911–1968), painter, printmaker (Canton) * Ed McGowin (born 1938), sculptor, painter (Hattiesburg)EdMcGowin.comUniversity Press of Mississippi: Ed McGowin * Fred Mitchell (born 1923), abstract expressionist painter (Meridian) * Ethel Wright Mohamed (1906–1992), folk stitchery artist (Belzoni) Smithsonian Magazine: Mississippi Cultural Destinations * George E. Ohr (1857–1918), potter (Biloxi) * J. Kim Sessums, bronze sculptor, painter (Brookhaven) * Floyd Shaman (1935–2005), sculptor (Cleveland) * Glennray Tutor (born 1950), painter (Oxford) * Gary Walters (born 1941), painter (Jackson) * James W. Washington Jr. (1908–2000), painter, sculptor (Gloster) * Dick Waterman (born 1935), photographer and blues promoter (Oxford) Athletes and sports-related people Broadcast media personalities * Alex Bonner (1926–2003), broadcast media executive (Marks) * Paul Gallo (born 1947), radio host (Shaw) * Lee Habeeb (born 1961), conservative talk radio producer (Oxford) * Iris Kelso (1926–2003), newspaper journalist and television commentator in New Orleans (Philadelphia) * Germany Kent (born 1975), media personality, author (Greenville) * Angela McGlowan (born 1970), Fox News political commentator (Oxford) * Randall Pinkston (born 1950), newscaster (Yazoo County) * Robin Roberts (born 1960), newscaster (Pass Christian) * Norman Robinson (born 1951), news anchor (Toomsuba) * Tavis Smiley (born 1964), talk show host (Gulfport) * Shepard Smith (born 1964), Fox News anchor (Holly Springs) * Paula White (born 1966), televangelist, author (Tupelo) * Oprah Winfrey (born 1954), talk show host (Kosciusko) Comedians * Rod Brasfield (1910–1958) (Smithville) * Jerry Clower (1926–1998) (Liberty) * David L. Cook (born 1968) (Pascagoula) * Mack Dryden (born 1949) (Moss Point) * Tig Notaro (born 1971), stand-up comedian (Jackson) * Cardis Cardell Willis (1937-2007), stand-up comedian (Forest) * Karlous Miller (born 1983), stand-up comedian (Oxford) Educators * James Madison Carpenter (1888–1983), folklorist (Prentiss County) * Richard Carson (born 1955), professor of economics (Jackson) * Joseph Crespino (born 1972), political scientist (Macon) * Jesse Dukeminier (1925–2003), professor of law (West Point) * William R. Ferris (born 1942), folklorist, chairman of National Endowment for the Humanities (Vicksburg) * Charles Betts Galloway (1849–1909), Methodist bishop, editor (Kosciusko) * Edgar Godbold (1879–1952), college president (Lincoln County) * George W. Grace (born 1921), linguist (Corinth) * Robert Khayat (born 1938), chancellor of the University of Mississippi (Moss Point) * Rory Lee (born 1949), clergyman, college president (Ridgeland) * Mamie Locke (born 1954), political scientist, dean at Hampton University (Brandon) * John A. Lomax (1867–1948), folklorist (Goodman) * Frances Lucas (born 1957), president of Millsaps College (Jackson) * Bernie Machen (born 1944), president of University of Florida (Greenwood) * Walter E. Massey (born 1938), physicist, University of Chicago (Hattiesburg) * William H. Miller (born 1941), theoretical chemist (Kosciusko) * William Muse, chancellor at East Carolina University * Rod Paige (born 1933), U.S. secretary of education (Monticello) * Milburn Price (born 1938), hymnologist, dean of School of Performing Arts, Samford University (Electric Mills) * Donald Rawson (1925–2014), historian (Leake County) * Dan Reneau (born 1940), president of Louisiana Tech University (Woodville) * Roy Vernon Scott (born 1927), historian (Starkville) * Jimmy G. Shoalmire (1940–1982), historian (Starkville) * Argile Smith (born 1955), clergyman and educator (Poplarville) * Dale Thorn (1943–2014), journalist and professor (Brandon) * Louis Westerfield (born 1949), law professor, first African-American Dean of the University of Mississippi School of Law (De Kalb) * Fannie C. Williams (1882–1980), normal school educator (Biloxi) Entrepreneurs and business leaders * Jim Barksdale (born 1943), president and CEO of Netscape (Jackson) * Joseph A. Biedenharn (1866–1952), confectioner, first Coca-Cola bottler (Vicksburg) * George W. Bryan (born 1946), Sara Lee executive (West Point) * John H. Bryan (1936–2018), Sara Lee executive (West Point) * Fred Carl Jr., founder of Viking Range Corporation (Greenwood) * Cully Cobb (1884–1975), agricultural publisher (Starkville) * Cynthia Cooper, WorldCom vice president, whistleblower (Clinton) * Bernard "Bernie" Ebbers (born 1941), founder and CEO of WorldCom, convicted of fraud and conspiracy (Brookhaven) * Joshua Green (1869–1975), shipping magnate, banker (Jackson) * Toxey Haas (born 1960), founder and CEO of Haas Outdoors, Inc. (West Point) * Robert L. Johnson (born 1946), founder of Black Entertainment Television (Hickory) * Ken Lewis (born 1947), Bank of America executive (Meridian) * Matteo Martinolich (1860–1934), master shipbuilder (DeLisle) * Walter E. Massey (born 1938), corporate executive (Hattiesburg) * Glenn McCullough (born 1954), chairman and CEO of GLM Associates, LLC (Tupelo) * Charles Moorman (born 1953), CEO of Norfolk Southern (Hattiesburg) * Clarence Otis Jr. (born 1956), CEO of Darden Restaurants (Vicksburg) * Hartley Peavey (born 1941), founder of Peavey Electronics (Meridian) * Pig Foot Mary (1870–1929), culinary entrepreneur (Mississippi Delta) * Robert Pittman, founder of MTV, executive at AOL (Jackson) * J. H. Rush (1868–1931), founder of Rush's Infirmary (De Kalb) * Fred Smith (born 1944), founder of FedEx (Marks) * James Breckenridge Speed (1844–1912), industrial pioneer * Antonio Maceo Walker (1909–1994), president, Universal Life Insurance Company (Indianola) * Zig Ziglar (1926–2012), motivational speaker, author, salesman (Yazoo City) * David Abney (born 1956), CEO of UPS (Greenwood) Filmmakers * Charles Burnett (born 1944), film director and producer (Vicksburg) * Jamaa Fanaka (born 1942), film director (Jackson) * John Fortenberry, film and television director (Jackson) * Lawrence Gordon (born 1936), film producer, Die Hard (Yazoo City) * Jonathan Murray (born 1955), creator of the reality television genre (Gulfport) * Patrik-Ian Polk (born 1973), film writer and director (Hattiesburg) * Tate Taylor (born 1969), film director of The Help and Get On Up (Jackson) * Larry A. Thompson (born 1944), television and film producer (Clarksdale) Jurists and lawyers * Rhesa H. Barksdale (born 1944), federal judge (Jackson) * Neal Brooks Biggers Jr. (born 1935), U.S. district judge (Corinth) * William Joel Blass (born 1917), attorney (Wiggins/Gulfport) * Debra M. Brown (born 1963), U.S. district judge (Yazoo City) * Gerald Chatham (1906–1956), lawyer, lead prosecutor in the Emmett Till case (Hernando) * Bobby DeLaughter (born 1954), prosecutor, judge (Jackson) * Jess H. Dickinson (born 1947), associate justice, Supreme Court of Mississippi (Charleston) * Boyce Holleman (1924–2003), attorney (Wiggins/Gulfport) * Perry Wilbon Howard (1877–1961), assistant U.S. attorney general, Republican leader (Ebenezer) * Lucy Somerville Howorth (1895–1997), attorney, judge, state legislator (Greenville) * E. Grady Jolly (born 1937), judge of the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals (Louisville) * W. Allen Pepper Jr. (born 1941), U.S. district judge (Greenwood) * Charles W. Pickering (born 1937), U.S. district judge (Jones County) * Thomas Rodney (1744–1811), U.S. territorial judge (Natchez) * Constance Slaughter-Harvey (born 1946) , judge and attorney (Forest) * Richard "Dickie" Scruggs (born 1946), attorney (Pascagoula) * Michael B. Thornton (born 1954), judge, U.S. Tax Court (Hattiesburg) * Ben C. Toledano (born 1932), lawyer and columnist (Pass Christian) * Michael Wallace (born 1951), lawyer (Biloxi) * James R. Williams (born 1936), lawyer, U.S. attorney (Columbus) Military figures * William Wirt Adams (1819–1888), brigadier general, CSA (Jackson) * Van T. Barfoot (1919–2012), World War II colonel and Medal of Honor recipient (Edinburg) * William Barksdale (1821–1863), brigadier general, CSA, died at Gettysburg (Jackson) * William Billingsley (1887–1913), ensign, first Navy aviator killed in an airplane crash (Winona) * Alvin C. Cockrell (1918–1942), second lieutenant, USMC, killed in World War II (Hazelhurst) * Nathan Bedford Forrest (1821–1877), general, CSA (Hernando) * Walter "Smokey" Gordon (1920–1997), World War II veteran, portrayed in the HBO mini-series Band Of Brothers * Jeffery Hammond (born 1978), major general, U.S. Army (Hattiesburg) * Randolph M. Holder (1918–1942), USN lieutenant (junior grade) (Jackson) * Felix Huston (1800–1857), general, Texas army (Natchez) * Samuel Reeves Keesler (1896–1918), Army aviator (Greenwood) * Newt Knight (1837–1922), Unionist leader (Jones County) * Roy Joseph Marchand (1920–1942), World War II fireman first class (Crandall) * Henry Pinckney McCain (1861–1941), adjutant general, US Army (Carroll County) * John S. McCain Sr. (1884–1945), USN admiral (Teoc) * Donald H. Peterson (born 1933), USAF colonel and NASA astronaut (Winona) * Charles Read (1840–1890), naval officer (Meridian) * Viola B. Sanders (1921–2013), USN captain, director of women, U.S. Navy (Sidon) * Daniel Isom Sultan (1885–1947), inspector general, U.S. Army (Oxford) * James Monroe Trotter (1842–1892), first man of color to achieve rank of 2nd Lieutenant, U.S. Army, music historian (Gulfport) * Richard H. Truly (born 1937), USN vice-admiral, astronaut, NASA administrator (Fayette) * Louis H. Wilson Jr. (1920–2005), Commandant of the Marine Corps and Medal of Honor recipient (Brandon) Models * Jennifer Adcock (born 1980), Miss Mississippi 2002 and Miss Mississippi USA 2005 (Hattiesburg) * Kristi Addis (born 1971), Miss Teen USA 1987 (Holcomb) * Susan Akin (born 1965), Miss Mississippi 1985 and Miss America 1986 (Meridian) * Jenna Edwards (born 1981), former Miss Florida and Miss Florida USA (Brandon) * Erica Ellyson (born 1984), NBC's Momma's Boys, model (Pascagoula) * Ruth Ford (1911–2009), model (Hazlehurst) * Taryn Foshee, Miss Mississippi 2006 (Clinton) * Tess Holliday (born 1985), first plus-size model (Laurel) * Lauren Jones (born 1982), model, Barker's Beauty on The Price is Right, shoe line namesake (Jackson) * June Juanico (born 1938), beauty queen known for dating Elvis Presley in 1955 and 1956 (Biloxi) * Nan Kelley, Miss Mississippi 1985 and GAC's Top 20 Country Countdown hostess (Hattiesburg) * Kendra King, Miss Mississippi USA 2006 (Monticello) * Christine Kozlowski, Miss Mississippi 2008 (D'Iberville) * Leah Laviano (born 1988), Miss Mississippi USA 2008, and 1st runner up in Miss USA 2008 (Ellisville) * Monica Louwerens (born 1973), Miss Mississippi 1995 (Greenville) * Lypsinka (born 1955), drag performer and model (Hazlehurst) * Lynda Lee Mead (born c. 1939), Miss America 1960 (Natchez) * Mary Ann Mobley (1939–2014), Miss America 1959 (Brandon) * Kimberly Morgan (born 1983), Miss Mississippi 2007 (Taylor) * Cheryl Prewitt (born 1957), Miss America 1980 (Ackerman) * Crystal Renn (born 1986), plus-size model and fashion model (Clinton) * Hannah Roberts (born 1993 or 1994), Miss University of Southern Mississippi 2015 (Mount Olive) * Toni Seawright (born 1964), Miss Mississippi 1987; first African-American winner (Pascagoula) * Naomi Sims (1948–2009), fashion model and author (Oxford) * Ellen Stratton (born 1939), model and Playboy Playmate (Marietta) * Amy Wesson (born 1977), fashion model (Tupelo) * Cindy Williams (born 1964), journalist and Miss Mississippi USA 1986 * Jalin Wood (born 1981), Miss Mississippi 2004 and Miss Mississippi USA 2007 (Waynesboro) Musicians Physicians * Blair E. Batson (1920 - 2018), founding chairman of pediatrics at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and eponym of the Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children (Jackson) * Henry Cloud (born 1956), clinical psychologist (Vicksburg) * Thomas F. Frist Sr. (1910–1998), cardiologist, founder of Hospital Corporation of America (Meridian) * Arthur Guyton (1919–2003), physiologist, author of Textbook of Medical Physiology (Oxford) * James Hardy (1918–2003), surgeon who performed the first successful cadaveric lung transplant (Jackson) * T. R. M. Howard (1908–1976), surgeon and activist (Mound Bayou) * Edgar Hull (1904–1984), co-founder of Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans and Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Shreveport (Pascagoula) * Thomas Naum James (1925–2010), cardiologist (Amory) * Edmond F. Noel (1916–1986), Howard University and Fisk University graduate, veteran, and the first African-American physician to be granted staff hospital privileges in Denver, Colorado (Lexington/Jackson)"The Origin of Rose Medical Center, Denver, Colorado", Colorado Health Care HistoryClaire Martin, "Activist Led the Way to School Integration"], Denver Post, 5 February 2008 Politicians * Thomas Abernethy (1903–1998), U.S. representative (Eupora) * Bidwell Adam (1894–1982), lieutenant governor (Gulfport)John H. Lang, History of Harrison County, Mississippi Dixie Press, 1935, p. 135. * Robert H. Adams (1792–1830), U.S. senator (Natchez) * James L. Alcorn (1816–1894), governor, U.S. senator (Friars Point) * William Allain (born 1928), governor (Washington) * John Mills Allen (1846–1917), U.S. representative (Tishomingo County) * Apuckshunubbee (c. 1740–1824), Choctaw chief * Haley Barbour (born 1947), governor (Yazoo City) * Ethelbert Barksdale (1824–1893), U.S. representative, Confederate congressman (Jackson) * William Barksdale (1821–1863), U.S. congressman (Jackson) * Ross Barnett (1898–1987), governor (Standing Pine) * Cheri Barry (born c. 1955), mayor (Meridian) * Marion Barry (born 1936), Washington, D.C. mayor (Itta Bena) * Theodore G. Bilbo (1877–1947), governor and U.S. senator (Poplarville) * Marsha Blackburn (born 1952), U.S. representative from Tennessee (Laurel) * Hale Boggs (1914–1972), U.S. representative from Louisiana, House majority leader (Long Beach) * Mary Booze (1877–1948), first African-American woman to sit on the Republican National Committee (Mound Bayou) * David R. Bowen (born 1932), U.S. representative (Houston) * Leon Bramlett (1923–2015), Republican politician (Clarksdale) * Walker Brooke (1813–1869), U.S. senator (Vicksburg) * Blanche Bruce (1841–1898), U.S. senator * Ezekiel S. Candler Jr. (1862–1944), U.S. representative (Corinth) * Gil Carmichael (born 1927), Republican politician, transportation specialist (Meridian) * Joseph W. Chalmers (1806–1853), U.S. senator (Holly Springs) * Travis W. Childers (born 1958), U.S. representative (Booneville) * John Claiborne (1809–1884), U.S. representative (Natchez) * Bryant Clark (born 1975), state representative, son of Robert G. Clark Jr. (Jackson) * Robert G. Clark Jr. (born 1928), state representative, speaker pro tempore (Ebenezer) * Thad Cochran (1937–2019), U.S. senator (Pontotoc) * James P. Coleman (1914–1991), governor (Ackerman) * Jacqueline Y. Collins (born 1949), Illinois state senator (McComb) * Ross A. Collins (1880–1968), U.S. representative (Collinsville) * William M. Colmer (1890–1980), U.S. representative (Moss Point) * Greg Davis (born 1966), mayor (Southaven) * Jefferson Davis (1808–1889), U.S. senator and president of the Confederate States of America (Warren County) * Wayne Dowdy (born 1943), chairman of the Mississippi Democratic Party (Magnolia) * Brad Dye (born 1933), lieutenant governor (Charleston) * James Eastland (1904–1986), U.S. senator (Sunflower) * Ronnie Edwards (1952–2016), Louisiana state representative (Woodville) * Mike Espy (born 1953), U.S. secretary of agriculture (Yazoo City) * Robert C. Farrell (born 1936), Los Angeles city councilman (Natchez) * Chris Faser Jr. (1917–2004), Mississippi and Louisiana state legislator (Winona) * Erik R. Fleming (born 1965), state representative (Clinton) * Mary E. Flowers (born 1951), Illinois state representative (Inverness) * Tim Ford (1951–2015), speaker of Mississippi House of Representatives (Tupelo) * Kirk Fordice (1934–2004), governor (Vicksburg) * Webb Franklin (born 1941), U.S. representative (Greenwood) * Evelyn Gandy (1920–2007), lieutenant governor (Hattiesburg * Terry W. Gee (1940–2014), Louisiana state representative (Natchez) * James Z. George (1826–1897), U.S. senator (Carrollton) * Charles H. Griffin (1926–1989), U.S. representative (Utica) * Gregg Harper (born 1956), U.S. representative (Jackson) * Pat Harrison (1881–1941), U.S. representative (Crystal Springs) * Patrick Henry (1843–1930), U.S. representative (Brandon) * Jim Herring (born 1938), attorney, chairman of Mississippi Republican Party (Canton) * Thomas C. Hindman (1828–1868), U.S. representative from Arkansas (Ripley) * Jon Hinson (1942–1995), U.S. representative (Tylertown) * David Holmes (1769–1832), first Governor of Mississippi * Jim Hood, Attorney General of Mississippi (New Houlka) * Delbert Hosemann (born 1947), Mississippi secretary of state (Vicksburg) * Benjamin G. Humphreys (1808–1882), governor (Claiborne County) * Benjamin G. Humphreys II (1865–1923), U.S. representative (Claiborne County) * William Y. Humphreys (1890–1933), U.S. representative (Greenville) * Paul B. Johnson Jr. (1916–1985), governor (Hattiesburg) * Paul B. Johnson Sr. (1880–1943), judge/governor (Hattiesburg) * Pete Johnson (born 1948), state auditor, co-chair of Delta Regional Authority (Clarksdale) * Daryl Jones (born 1955), Florida legislator, attorney (Jackson) * Penne Percy Korth (born 1942), diplomat (Hattiesburg * L. Q. C. Lamar (1825–1893), U.S. senator and supreme court justice (Oxford) * Swords Lee (1859–1929), businessman, Louisiana state legislator (Perry County) * Greenwood LeFlore (1800–1865), Choctaw chief, state senator * Elmer Litchfield (1927–2008), sheriff of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana (Meridian) * Mamie Locke (born 1954), Virginia state senator (Brandon) * Trent Lott (born 1941), U.S. senator (Grenada) * Chokwe Lumumba (1947–2014), activist, attorney, mayor of Jackson * John R. Lynch (1847–1939), first African-American speaker of the Mississippi House, U.S. representative (Natchez) * Ray Mabus (born 1948), governor and Secretary of the Navy (Starkville) * Lewis McAllister (born 1932), state representative (Meridian) * Glenn McCullough (born 1954), mayor of Tupelo (Tupelo) * Chris McDaniel (born 1971), state senator (Laurel) * Anselm J. McLaurin (1848–1909), governor (Brandon) * Myrtis Methvin (1895–1977), mayor of Castor, Louisiana (Attala County) * Hernando Money (1839–1912), U.S. senator (Carrollton) * Frank A. Montgomery (1830–1903), state representative and circuit judge (Adams County) * Isaiah Montgomery (1847–1924), founder, mayor of (Mound Bayou, Mississippi) * Sonny Montgomery (1920–2006), U.S. representative (Meridian) * Mike Moore (born 1952), Mississippi attorney general (Pascagoula) * Stanford Morse (1926–2002), state senator (Gulfport)Billy Hathorn, "Challenging the Status Quo: Rubel Lex Phillips and the Mississippi Republican Party (1963–1967)", The Journal of Mississippi History XLVII, November 1985, No. 4, pp. 240–264. * Henry L. Muldrow (1837–1905), U.S. representative and First Assistant Secretary of the Interior (Lowndes County)* * Ronnie Musgrove (born 1956), governor (Tocowa) * David Myers (born 1961), politician, state representative (Magee) * Spencer Myrick (1918–1991), Louisiana legislator (Simpson County) * Edmond F. Noel (1856–1927), governor (Lexington) * Joe Nosef (born 1969), attorney, chairman of Mississippi Republican Party (Clarksdale) * Alan Nunnelee (born 1958), state senator (Tupelo) * Rod Paige (born 1933), U.S. secretary of education (Monticello) * Rubel Phillips (1925–2011), gubernatorial candidate Corinth * Chip Pickering (born 1963), U.S. representative (Laurel) * Stacey Pickering (born 1968), state auditor (Laurel) * Charles K. Pringle (born 1931), state representative (Biloxi)Billy Hathorn, "Challenging the Status Quo: Rubel Lex Phillips and the Mississippi Republican Party (1963–1967)", The Journal of Mississippi History XLVII, November 1985, No. 4, p. 262. * John E. Rankin (1882–1960), U.S. representative (Itawamba County) * Red Shoes (died 1747), assassinated Choctaw leader * Clarke Reed (born 1928), state Republican chairman (Greenville) * Jack Reed (born 1924), Republican gubernatorial nominee in 1987 * Bill Renick (born 1954), mayor, governor's chief of staff (Ashland) * Hiram Rhodes Revels (1827–1901), first African-American U.S. senator (Claiborne County) * Carol Schwartz (born 1944), District of Columbia politician (Greenville) * Abram M. Scott (1785–1833), governor (Wilkinson County) * Ronnie Shows (born 1947), U.S. representative (Moselle) * Jim Singleton (born 1931), New Orleans councilman (Hazlehurst) * Larkin I. Smith (1944–1989), U.S. representative (Poplarville) * Larry Speakes (1939–2014), presidential spokesman (Cleveland) * James J. Spelman (1841–1894), journalist, state representative (Madison County) * John C. Stennis (1901–1995), U.S. senator (De Kalb) * Bill Stone (born 1965), state senator (Ashland) * Tom Stuart (1936–2001), mayor of Meridian * William V. Sullivan (1857–1918), U.S. representative and senator (Winona) * Gene Taylor (born 1953), U.S. representative (Bay St. Louis) * Bennie Thompson (born 1948), U.S. representative (Bolton) * Jacob Thompson (1810–1885), U.S. representative, secretary of the interior (Oxford) * E. M. Toler (1874–1954), physician, Louisiana state legislator (Gloster)Henry E. Chambers, A History of Louisiana, Vol. 2 (Chicago and New York City: The American Historical Society, Inc., 1925), pp. 259–260. * Amy Tuck (born 1963), lieutenant governor (Maben) * James K. Vardaman (1861–1930), governor, U.S. senator (Yalobusha County) * Joseph Warren (born 1952), politician, state representative (Magee) * Jamie L. Whitten (1910–1995), U.S. representative (Cascilla) * Roger Wicker (born 1951), U.S. senator (Pontotoc) * Thomas Hickman Williams (1801–1851), U.S. senator (Pontotoc County) * Norris C. Williamson (1874–1949), Louisiana state senator (Benton County) * William Arthur Winstead (1904–1995), U.S. representative (Philadelphia) * William Winter (born 1923), governor (Grenada) * Seelig Wise (1913–2004), planter, state senator (Clarksdale) * Fielding L. Wright (1895–1956), governor (Rolling Fork) * Wirt Yerger (born 1930), state Republican chairman (Jackson)Billy Hathorn, "Challenging the Status Quo: Rubel Lex Phillips and the Mississippi Republican Party (1963–1967)", The Journal of Mississippi History XLVII, November 1985, No. 4, p. 241. Scientists and inventors * Earl W. Bascom (1906–1995), inventor of rodeo equipment (Columbia) * Harry A. Cole, inventor of Pine-Sol (Jackson) * James A. Ford (1911–1968), archaeologist (Water Valley) * Fred Haise (born 1933), engineer, astronaut (Biloxi) * Elizabeth Lee Hazen (1885–1975), microbiologist, developer of nystatin (Rich) * Martin F. Jue, amateur radio inventor, entrepreneur (Starkville) * Ben Montgomery (1819–1877), freedman, farmer, inventor (Davis Bend) * Joseph Newman, inventor of the Newman motor (Lucedale) * Chester H. Pond, inventor of the electrical self-winding clock * Henry Sampson (born 1934), inventor (Jackson) * Roy A. Tucker (born 1951), astronomer (Jackson) Supercentenarians * Moses Hardy (1893/1894–2006), lived 112 to 113 years (Aberdeen) * Bettie Wilson (1890–2006), lived 115 years and 153 days Writers * William Allegrezza (born 1974), poet (Jackson) * Ace Atkins (born 1970), novelist (Oxford) * Howard Bahr (born 1946), novelist (Jackson) * Frederick Barthelme (born 1943), novelist and professor (Hattiesburg) * Earl W. Bascom (1906–1995), artist and writer (Columbia) * Lerone Bennett Jr. (born 1928), editor of Ebony magazine (Clarksdale) * Douglas A. Blackmon (born 1964), journalist and historian (Leland) * Maxwell Bodenheim (1892–1954), poet and novelist (Hermanville) * Bruce Brady (1934?–2000), writer, editor of Outdoor Life (Brookhaven) * Charlie Braxton, poet and author (McComb) * Larry Brown (1951–2004), novelist (Oxford) * Jill Conner Browne, author, Sweet Potato Queens (Tupelo) * Jack Butler (born 1944), author (Alligator) * Mary Cain (1904–1984), journalist (Pike County) * Hodding Carter II (1907–1972), journalist (Greenville) * Hodding Carter III (born 1935), journalist (Greenville) * Craig Claiborne (1920–2000), food writer (Sunflower) * Carl Corley (1919–2016), author (Florence) * Hubert Creekmore (1907–1966), poet, author (Water Valley) * Mart Crowley (born 1935), playwright (Vicksburg) * Borden Deal (1922–1985), novelist and short story writer (Pontotoc) * Ben Domenech (born 1981), conservative writer and blogger (Jackson) * David Herbert Donald (1920–2009), historian (Goodman) * Ellen Douglas (Josephine Haxton) (1921–2012), novelist (Greenville) * John T. Edge, food writer (Oxford) * W. Ralph Eubanks, author, journalist (Mount Olive) * Woody Evans (born 1971?), technology journalist and short story writer (Hattiesburg) * John Faulkner (1901–1963), plain-style writer (Ripley) * William Faulkner (1897–1962), Nobel laureate (New Albany) * William Clark Falkner (1825–1889), businessman, author (Ripley) * Bill Fitzhugh (born 1957) (Jackson) * Vic Fleming (born 1951), puzzle writer (Jackson) * Shelby Foote (1916–2005), historian and novelist (Greenville) * Charles Henri Ford (1913–2002), poet, novelist, editor (Brookhaven) * Richard Ford (born 1944). Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and short story writer (Jackson) * Lynn Franklin (born 1922), author, police detective * Tom Franklin (born 1963), author (Oxford) * Ellen Gilchrist (born 1935), novelist, poet, short story writer (Vicksburg) * John Grisham (born 1955), legal thrillers novelist (Southaven) * Barry Hannah (born 1942), novelist and short story writer (Clinton) * Charlaine Harris (born 1951), mystery author (Tunica) * Thomas Harris (born 1940), author, screenwriter (Rich) * Beth Henley (born 1952), playwright and screenwriter (Jackson) * M. Carl Holman (1919–1988), author, poet, playwright (Minter City) * Alan Huffman (born 1955), author, journalist (Bolton) * Greg Iles (born 1960), novelist (Natchez) * Germany Kent (born 1975), author, journalist (Greenville) * Greg Keyes (born 1963), science fiction and fantasy writer (Meridian) * Kiese Laymon (born 1974), novelist, memoirist (Jackson) * Muna Lee (1895–1965), author and poet (Raymond) * Clinton LeSueur (born 1969), journalist, congressional candidate (Holly Springs) * Sam Chu Lin (1939–2006), journalist (Greenville) * Anne Moody (born 1940), author, activist (Centreville) * Willie Morris (1934–1999), author, editor (Jackson) * Jess Mowry (born 1960), writer of books and stories for children and young adults (Starkville) * Ellis Nassour (born 1941), journalist, playwright, non-fiction author (Vicksburg) * Thomas Naylor (born 1936), author and economist (Jackson) * Lewis Nordan (1939–2012), fiction author (Itta Bena) * Steven Ozment (born 1939), historian (McComb) * Walker Percy (1916–1990), author (Greenville) * William Alexander Percy (1885–1942), author (Greenville) * Thomas Hal Phillips (1922–2007), author, film actor (Corinth) * Robert M. Price (born 1954), theologian, writer (Jackson) * William Raspberry (born 1935), public affairs columnist (Okolona) * Kevin Sessums (born 1956), magazine editor (Forest) * George W. Shannon (1914–1998), editor of the magazine The Citizen (Jackson) * Donald C. Simmons Jr. (born 1963), author and filmmaker (Eupora) * Roscoe Simmons (1881–1951), journalist, activist (Greenville?)Alan Huffman * Patrick D. Smith (born 1927), novelist (Mendenhall) * Robert Bruce Smith IV (born 1947), author, local historian (Tupelo) Madness and The Mississippi Bonds: A Tale of Old Woodville and the life history of the Planters Bank of Mississippi by Robert Bruce Smith, published by the Woodville Civic Club, 2004 * Lynne Spears (born 1955), author (McComb) * Elizabeth Spencer (born 1921), novelist (Carrollton) * Stuart Stevens, author, political consultant (Jackson) * William N. Still Jr. (born 1932), maritime historian (Columbus) * Kathryn Stockett, novelist (Jackson) * Donna Tartt (born 1963), novelist (Greenwood) * Clifton Taulbert (born 1945), author and speaker (Glen Allan) * Mildred Taylor (born 1943), author (Jackson) * Wright Thompson (born 1976), sports writer (Clarksdale) * Natasha Trethewey (born 1966), 2007 Pulitzer Prize poet (Gulfport) * Jamie Langston Turner (born 1949), Christian novelist * Irving Vendig, television writer (Holly Springs) * Brenda Venus (born 1947), author (Biloxi) * Howard Waldrop (born 1946), science fiction author (Houston) * Jesmyn Ward (born 1977), novelist (DeLisle) * Peggy Webb (born 1942), romance novel author (Mooreville) * Eudora Welty (1909–2001), novelist, short story writer (Jackson) * Neil White III (born 1960), playwright, publisher (Gulfport) * Curtis Wilkie (born 1940), journalist, historian (Greenville) * Paige Williams (born 1969), journalist, author (Tupelo) * Tennessee Williams (1911–1983), playwright (Columbus) * Amos N. Wilson (1941–1995), psychologist, author (Hattiesburg) * Richard Nathaniel Wright (1908–1960) (Roxie) * Al Young (born 1939), poet, novelist, essayist, screenwriter (Ocean Springs) * Stark Young (1881–1963), playwright, novelist, literary critic, essayist (Como) Other people * Arthur Blessitt (born 1940), preacher (Greenville) * Miriam Chamani (born 1943), Mambo priestess, co-founder of New Orleans Voodoo Spiritual Temple (Jackson) * James Copeland (1823–1857), outlaw and co-leader of Wages and Copeland Clan (Jackson County) * Cat Cora (born 1967), first female Iron Chef America in franchise history (Jackson) * Margaret Ferguson (born 1968), political scientist (Hattiesburg) * Jeff Fort (born 1947), leader of Black P. Stones Nation (Aberdeen) * Larry Hoover (born 1950), leader of Gangster Disciple Nation (Jackson) * Leslie Hubricht (1908–2005), biologist and malacologist (Meridian) * Mary Comfort Leonard (1856–1940), founder of Delta Gamma fraternity (Kosciusko) * Floyd Mayweather Sr. (born 1952), boxer (Amory) * L. H. Musgrove (died 1868), outlaw hanged by vigilante committee in Denver, Colorado (Panola County) * Edmond "Eddie" F. Noel, Lexington; African-American who killed three white men in 1954 and evaded capture by 400-man lynch party; turned himself in, was committed by court to state mental institution; released in 1970Bill Minor, "Strange true story about Eddie Noel", DeSoto Times, 11 August 2010, accessed 25 November 2015Allie Powell, The Time of Eddie Noel, Comfort Publishing, 2010 * Haller Nutt (1816–1864), planter, builder of Longwood (Jefferson County) * Richard Ragan (born 1964), White House official, UN diplomat (Cleveland) * The Scott Sisters, convicted of murder in controversial case that drew national attention * Lenny Skutnik (born 1953), celebrity rescuer of 1982 disaster victim * Toby Turner (born 1985), YouTube star, better known as Tobuscus (Osborn) References Category:Lists Category:Lists of people from Mississippi